TWO YEARS ON: OUR GIRLS ARE STILL MISSING
TWO YEARS ON: OUR GIRLS ARE STILL MISSING
“We
cannot claim to have totally defeated Boko Haram without the rescue of the
chibok girls” – President Muhammadu Buhari (inaugural speech May 29th,
2015)
I
had a serious augment with Evelyn on a particular day when she concluded that
the kidnap of the 276 school girls in the Government Secondary School, Chibok,
Borno State on the evening of April 14th, 2014 was a charade. I
could not hide my disappointment that she thought in such a provocative and
insensitive manner because the fact that we reside in a part of the country
where things are much better does not mean that we should make loose statements
about those that have suffered tremendously from the consequences of armed
conflict, extremism and insurgency.
Over
the weekend, I read a number of publications on the Libyan conflict cum civil
war and I found out that about half a million people have lost their lives and
millions more, internally displaced. The updates on CNN from Syria and Iraq are
awful and the pictures, videos and images of the catastrophic events are a gory
sight. In consequence, the unfortunate kidnap of the Government Secondary
School girls in Chibok is very personal to me because of the following reasons;
I am a strong advocate of woman/girls rights and my readers would agree with me
that I do not take issues relating to violence against them with levity. The
second reason - the unfortunate incident occurred on the day I resumed in the
Allen Avenue branch of Sterling Bank – one of the most important days in my
life.
Moving
swiftly on, Thursday 14th of April 2016 marked the second
anniversary of the massive abduction and an online publication titled; “Two years after: Will
the 219 Chibok girls ever return?” by Dayo Adesulu
provides a narrative of what went down on that particular day. Excerpts; “As today marks the second anniversary of the
disappearance of 276 students at the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok,
Borno State, stakeholders in education sector are asking if the Chibok girls
will ever return to their parents. You will recall that on the night of 14–15
April 2014, suspected Boko Haram terrorists, attacked the Government Girls
Secondary School Chibok, broke into the school, pretending to be guards and
told the girls to get out and come with them. They were taken away in trucks,
into the Konduga area of the Sambisa Forest, where the terrorists were known to
have fortified camps”. It narrated.
“Before the attack, the school had been
closed for four weeks due to the deteriorating security situation,
nevertheless, students from various schools had been asked to take their final
exams in physics in the school. Reports revealed that there were 530 students
from different villages who registered for the Senior Secondary Certificate
Examination, although it is unclear how many were in attendance at the time of
the attack. The students were aged 16 to 18 years and were in their final year.”
It stated.
Government’s insensitivity sparks
international outcry
The
previous administration’s technique of handling the kidnap saga was one of the
reasons it failed miserably in the last general elections. It is highly
condemn-able that it took the former president about 20 days before he
officially spoke on the issue and the news of how the presidency offered the
parents of the seized girls’ monies made the rounds in the most controversial
manner. These chains of events not only authenticated the perceived
insensitivity and insincerity on the part of an already botched administration,
it also drew international attention to the pathetic security situation in the
country.
On
April 30 and May 1, protests demanding greater government action were held in
several Nigerian cities. On May 3 and 4, protests were held in major Western
cities including Los Angeles and London and a lawyer in Abuja started the hash
tag #BringBackOurGirls campaign which began to trend globally on Twitter and
the story spread rapidly internationally and became most tweeted hash tag such
that by May 11, 2014, it had attracted 2.3 million tweets and by 2016, it had
been re-tweeted 6.1 million times.
The Way Forward
Upon
the assumption of office of President Muhammadu Buhari, hopes were restored
that the Boko Haram insurgents has finally gotten their march but if the truth
is to be told, the President’s slow pace at taking critical decision of
national importance has affected every facet of our socio-economic life and the
rescue of the chibok girls is not an exception. The government needs to step up
efforts to ensure the safe return of the kidnapped girls and other still held
in captivity because its commitment has never been short in supply.
While
I would like to commend the present administration’s effort at seeking
international aid and collaboration in tackling the myriads of challenges the
country is presently battling with, I also like to remind those at the helm of
affairs that the results of hard-work would only manifest if it is tailored at
the right directions. The news on Naij.com that the United States government has
pledged development and humanitarian support to the excess of $240million is most
welcomed but we all have a sacred responsibility to ensure that these resources
(when they finally arrive) are channeled to the most deserving people.
Conclusion
The
last article I wrote about the menace of Boko Haram was published by daily
Independent in September, 2014 titled; STATE OF EMERGENCY EXTENSION: HOW TO GET
IT RIGHT (http://dailyindependentnig.com/2014/09/state-emergency-extension-get-right/)
offers a number of ways the insurgency can be completely defeated and the
abducted girls returned to their families. “Conclusively,
while it is advised by this writer that efforts at persuasion and dialogue
should be considered, let me reiterate that we (the citizens and residents)
also have a sacred duty to ensure the security and well-being of all our people
and protect the sovereign integrity of our country. Therefore, we should always
remember that security is everybody's business, we should be extra vigilant and
any useful information that can assist the authorities in the course of doing
their work should be made available to them at the right time.” I implored.
#GodHelpOurGirls
Olusanya Olwole Sheriff
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